Lawyers of Megawati supporters quit court
Lawyers of Megawati supporters quit court
JAKARTA (JP): A court proceeding of a suit against the city
police chief by 57 Megawati Soekarnoputri supporters over their
detention descended into chaos yesterday when their lawyers
walked out in protest over the authorities' refusal to release
their clients for the session.
The 15 lawyers acting on behalf of members of Barisan Merah
Putih (the Red-and-White Front) said the proceedings would be
legally flawed if the plaintiffs' were not present.
The 57 plaintiffs are being detained in the Cipinang and
Pondok Bambu penitentiaries in East Jakarta.
The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office did not explain why it had
refused to release the supporters of the ousted Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) leader.
Lawyers said the court was attempting to delay proceedings
until police submitted their own case against the plaintiffs to
the court. When that happens, the plaintiffs' will be obliged to
abandon their action if the court has not yet allowed their
action to proceed to a full trial.
Yesterday's hearing was supposed to examine material evidence
and the plaintiffs' testimony.
When their clients failed to appear, lawyers from the Defense
Team of Indonesia Democracy (TPDI), who are representing the
plaintiffs, asked the judges' permission to leave the courtroom.
Their request was immediately granted.
"We want to leave because material evidence should include the
plaintiffs, who have not been allowed to come. We therefore
cannot submit our evidence," Pantas Nainggolan, one of the
lawyers, told a panel of judges led by P.H. Pardede.
The judges allowed the plaintiffs' legal team to leave, then
asked police lawyers to submit their written evidence before
closing the hearing.
The court will rule on the case today.
Fourteen judges were in attendance and six rooms prepared for
the hearings in a case brought in protest at the arrest of a
number of demonstrators on Feb. 15.
A total of 157 people were arrested for demonstrating against
high food prices on that day. One hundred and twenty two of the
detainees are suing police over their detention. Fifty seven of
the plaintiffs are being held in Cipinang and Pondok Bambu
penitentiaries in East Jakarta. The other 65 are being held in
the city police detention center.
The plaintiffs claim warrants for their detention were issued
five days after their arrest. The law states that warrants should
be issued within 24 hours of their detention.
Dozens of people waited to see relatives who were among those
scheduled to appear in court. Many also waited in vain at the
same court on Monday.
Outside the court, Pantas said hearings on lawsuits brought by
the other 65 plaintiffs, which were due to be heard yesterday,
had to be postponed because they too had been prevented from
attending the court.
"The proceedings have been very messy. We are afraid the
court's decision may suffer as a consequence," he added.
According to Criminal Code procedures, plaintiffs should be
present at the hearing and may not be represented in absentia by
lawyers.
"Our job is to accompany the plaintiffs and give them legal
advice during the trial," he said.
TPDI said in a statement yesterday that the court, the
prosecutor's office and the police were conspiring to stall the
proceedings.
"The plaintiffs are being prevented from attending hearings
until the police can bring their own case to court, thereby
foiling our lawsuit," it said.
TPDI criticized the city police chief and the prosecutor's
office for preventing the plaintiffs from attending the court
hearing.
They also queried why the court had not ordered the police and
the prosecutor's office to release the plaintiffs for the
hearing.
Lawyers said they had questioned police and the prosecutor's
office about the plaintiffs absence, but did not receive a
satisfactory explanation. (jun)